Winter triumphsSuccess measured in crashes preventedSuccess often can be measured in multiple ways. In winter highway maintenance it can be judged by what you accomplish and what you prevent. That was a conclusion by a traveler who assessed ITD’s performance during a journey on Interstate 15 during one of the most challenging periods of winter.Continue

Transportation BoardGroup explains efforts to expand pilot projectThe Idaho Legislature, in 2003, approved a pilot project allowing trucks with a gross vehicle weight of up to 129,00 pounds on specified state highways. It is a 10-year project that calls for ITD to submit periodical reports on the impacts of the increased weights. Because the Idaho Legislature does not have authority on Interstate routes, the Right Truck for Idaho Coalition was formed to seek Congressional authority to expand the pilot project to select interstates. ContinueAccoladesRainbow Bridge renovation received international honorRecognizing the slow but steady assault nature was exacting on the structure, ITD began a major Rainbow Bridge makeover project in 2006. Although work on the arch piers, floor beams, deck joints and columns took place outside the view of the motoring public, someone was paying close attention. The International Concrete Repair Institute chose the Rainbow Bridge facelift as its 2007 Project of the year. Continue

U.S. 95 Setters to Bellgrove garners engineering awardA 7.5-mile highway reconstruction/realignment project that significantly improves safety for travelers on U.S. 95 in northern Idaho was selected recently for a national engineering award. The American Council of Engineering Companies awarded National Finalist status to the U.S. 95 Setters to Bellgrove project that added new lanes, eliminated hazardous curves, replaced aging bridges and realigned portions of the highway. Continue

HighwaysElected officials, media to tour I-84 corridorAn informational bus tour will showcase several construction projects planned on Interstate 84 in Nampa and Meridian as part of the state’s GARVEE Program. The tour will be Tuesday from 12:45 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Lawmakers, local elected officials and media representatives will participate in the tour. Senate Transportation Committee Chairman John McGee of Caldwell will lead a delegation of the committee.Continue

Yellowstone
Groups develop regional off-season strategy for Yellowstone/TetonA year-long effort funded through the Yellowstone Business Partnership (YBP) kicked off Thursday (Feb. 28) in six sub-regions to press social, economic, and natural assets into service for year-round economic activity at Yellowstone National Park. Workshop sites in Bozeman, Billings, Lander, Jackson, Pocatello and Idaho Falls were connected by video conference, unifying the Greater Yellowstone region as it tackles common socioeconomic and transportation challenges. Continue

AeronauticsAirstrip network to sign agreement TuesdayA group working to position the Idaho Airstrip Network as an important component of the state’s future transportation system while respecting and protecting Idaho’s natural and recreational resources will take a major step toward implementing an action plan. Members of the Idaho Airstrip Network Steering Committee will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Oxford Suites in Boise on Tuesday. The document will ensure that all participants will cooperate with the implementation of the airstrip network action plan. Continue
Drill helps division prepare for aviation emergenciesStaff from the Division of Aeronautics hovered over maps and tables in what resembled a war room Friday (Feb. 22), looking for the location of a lost aircraft. . They focused on an area between Banks and McCall. The object of their scrutiny – the state-owned Cessna 206 single-engine plane – never crashed; indeed it was never missing. The mock search-and-rescue effort was a training exercise for Aeronautics personnel and representatives of the department’s Communications Office.Continue

Tough
economy not good reason for procrastinating
There’s been lots of talk lately about
our cooling economy and its impact on the
state budget. Some legislators are even
talking about delaying a serious investment
in addressing our mounting backlog of highway
work. “Too expensive,” they
say. “Better wait ‘til times
get better.”Continue

Greenhouse
Gas reductionGroup
completes action plan, forwards to DEQITD
employees commuting to and from work contribute
an estimated 3,468 tons of carbon dioxide
to the earth’s atmosphere annually,
according to a greenhouse gas report submitted
to the Idaho Department of Environmental
Quality. The 2008-09 Greenhouse Gas Emission
Reduction Action Plan was created in response
to an executive order issued by Gov. C.L.
“Butch” Otter last May.Continue

Alternative
work schedule could cut emissionsITD
may consider expanding options for alternative
commuting times and work schedules as part
of its Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction
Action Plan – as long as altered schedules
do not negatively impact the department’s
commitment to customer service.Continue

Winter
Marooned motorists find shelter amidst
a storm No
one expected the 700 to 800 motorists
stranded last weekend in Swan Valley to
be happy campers! Blowing and drifting
snow closed U.S. 26 between Swan Valley
and Ririe just after lunch on Thursday,
Feb. 7, and the severe conditions persisted
for two days. Traffic backed up more than
a mile – both on U.S. 26 and on
Idaho 31, which intersects U.S. 26 in
Swan Valley – unable to proceed
until Saturday afternoon.Continue

Open
and shut case: Crews battled to keep highways
clear If
you think it’s been difficult to
travel from point A to point B during
the relentless waves of winter early this
month, there’s good reason. All
six of ITD’s districts reported
at least one closure and one highway in
District 6 was closed nine times.Continue

Survey
says... Drivers
provide input about I-84 conditionsResponses
to a telephone survey conducted Jan. 17-20
by Elway Research, Inc. will serve as a
benchmark by which ITD and motorists will
judge the outcome of a $113 million improvement
and expansion project for the heavily traveled
6.2-mile Interstate 84 corridor from Garrity
(Nampa) to Meridian interchanges.Continue

Employees
HRS urges employees to ensure beneficiaries
are up to dateLife
changes. Have you kept up? Changes could
affect beneficiaries of the life insurance
and supplemental life insurance policies
offered as part of ITD employment, supplemental
life insurance through the National Conference
on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS)
and survivor benefits through the Public
Employee Retirement System of Idaho (PERSI).Continue